Last week in San Diego, a group of microbiologists, risk assessors, veterinarians, and animal health experts determined that human-health hazards from livestock antibiotics are “theoretical” at best, and that the actual risk is “very small.” The scientists met before the 42nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

Another doctor on the panel noted that in Denmark, where the routine use of animal antibiotics was outlawed three years ago, pigs “get more cases of diarrhea, especially baby pigs.” Human health also suffers. Since Denmark did exactly what U.S. activists are advocating, “human cases of salmonella and campylobacter have reached record levels.”